Tom Carbonar obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Marietta College in 1960 and, after his military service as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, a Master's Degree in Economics/Finance from California State - Northridge. Tom spent eighteen years of his business career at the investment -banking firm of Kidder, Peabody, & Co., where he served as a Managing Director of fixed-income sales and ultimately on the Board of Directors. Having achieved his professional and financial goals, he retired from Kidder, Peabody in 1989. Tom is an active Charter Member of the Athletic Founder's Board and a member of the Board of Trustees at Marietta College.

Lee Deichmann was inspired by a medical emergency class at Perce College to become a paramedic. An injury sustained during a rescue forced him to undergo a prolonged period of rehabilitation. During the following 27-year career at Budweiser, Lee ran the beer quality control laboratory and also conducted all health inspections and supervised food safety at a cafeteria that served 1,600 employees. Moreover, Lee's ability to get anything done within a day got him placed in charge of all work orders. At AFI, Lee ensures the highest level of product quality and uses his considerable logistics and sales experience to manage key purchase and sales transactions. At CMBI, Lee helps manage the pearl seeding operation.

Laurieann Enright's multiple talents match her varied life experience. From her talent as an athlete, she became a physical therapist; from her talent as a leader, she became the office manager for a successful east coast law firm; from her exceptional creativity, she has produced a clothing line and has written screenplays. Laurieann is currently an active motion picture writer and producer, as well as mother to three children. She supports the community most notably as a key supporter and fundraiser for Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. Laurieann works closely with Macrina G—mez in community relations for AFI.

Fabian Geyrhalter studied Communication Design at Art Center in Switzerland and holds a B.A. of Fine Arts from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. At the age of 28, he became a Graphic Design teacher at USC. As the Creative Director for Insyght, he developed corporate identity and collateral projects for clients such as Pfizer and Lilly ICOS. As the Creative Lead at Interactive Design Leader Genex, he oversaw the online advertising account for Acura and collected awards and recognition for the Acura RSX website. Fabian founded Geyrhalter Design under the promise to envision the future, inspire the world and engage the senses. He has been recognized by publications and organizations such as Graphis, The Hong Kong Poster Triennial, Print, AIGA, Novum, Creation Numerique, How, and the German Graphic Designers' Association, to name a few.

Arturo Gómez, Esq. served as Supervisor for the Federal Consumer Protection Agency and was the private aide to the Director of Public Relations for the State of Baja California before even completing his law degree at the Universidad Nacional Aut—noma de Mexico in 1978. He managed a restaurant chain, was operations manager for a hotel firm and became Administrator and General Manager for a prestigious real estate development company. From 1984 to 1989, Arturo was Director and General Manager of Mexico Operations for Diamond Walnut Growers of California, Inc. and thereafter, General Manager of AMI -Maquiladora, Consultoria de Maquiladoas Internacional, S.A. de C.V., where he was responsible for the administrative set-up and incorporation of the maquila. In 1993, Arturo became Director of Legal Affairs and Public Relations for Grupo Valcas, S.A. de C.V. In 1992, he started working with Dr. Eric Lewis in the research and development stage of what has become AFI. Arturo moved to the abalone farm with his family in 1998.

Macrina Gómez began her career as a Field Officer and Supervisor for the Federal Agency for Consumer Protection, reaching out to unwed mothers. Later, she became a recruiting officer for the Graduate Program at the University of Guadalajara, promoting advanced education. Macrina is a founding member of the Baja Society for Animal Protection and co-wrote and saw through to passage Baja California's first animal protection law. She also participated in a successful national campaign to regulate and humanize the killing of animals in meat packing plants. Macrina assumed the duties of Human Resources Department Head at the Federal Institute for Employee Healthcare and later became the Secretary to its Director General. She has also found time, in addition to raising her two sons, to be the publicity manager for three Federal Congressional campaigns.

Ray Gordon holds a Bachelor's of Architecture and a Master's of City and Regional Planning degrees from New York's Pratt Institute. He was awarded a NYC Urban Fellowship and served on the Board of Trustees at Pratt. Ray managed a leading environmental sciences firm that developed environmental impact statements for multi-use waterfront projects in New York. His was a partner in a Manhattan architectural firm, project manager at New York's largest architectural-engineering firm, has worked with a leading historic restoration architect, and was social advocacy planner with the Pratt Center for Community & Environmental Development. Ray was Planning Coordinator for the Parks Department, a project manager at the Department of Ports & Terminals' Waterfront Development Group, and strategic planner for the Brooklyn Office of City Planning. Ray is President of The Courage Group, a company that provides business management facilitation, communications solutions and marketing assistance to multi-national companies in Japan and the US. Ray is also a consultant to the International Finance Corporation, the private investment arm of the World Bank.

Dr. Kirk Hahn is probably the most recognized abalone expert in the world. Kirk has started, consulted, or studied at all of the world's major abalone facilities. Kirk has a PhD from the University of California at Davis and has been working on abalone aquaculture for 30 years. He is the author of numerous research papers and a scientific reference book on abalone aquaculture, “Spawning and Grow-Out of Abalone.” Kirk lived in Japan while conducting research on the reproduction of cultured abalone. Kirk's direct working knowledge of most of the established abalone farms in the world has allowed him to incorporate their best features into the “ideal” facility for AFI. Kirk has worked with AFI over the last 10 years. He has been AFI's chief consultant during the late stages of the R&D process and continues to be an advisor.

Andrew Lee spent fourteen years in executive positions with very large corporations, followed by two years as president of the American Lung Association. In 1990, Andy followed his passion for the ocean by establishing a marine aquariology company in Los Angeles that was instrumental in designing and constructing hundreds of captive marine and live seafood systems for top restaurants. Andy became a well-known aquarium expert who consulted with public aquariums and museums. In 1994, Andy achieved the SCUBA certification of “Dive Master.” Combining the micro and macro technologies of the ocean, Andy leads a team to regenerate destroyed, polluted, or over-consumed ecosystems. At AFI/CMBI, Andy is involved in the planning and development of the abalone farm, where he designed and built Mexico's first, giant-kelp spawning laboratory. Andy is also in charge of management and administration at AFI's office in Tarzana.  Andy is certified as HACCP trained for seafood.

Eric A. Lewis, M.D. is a prominent Beverly Hills dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon who has led numerous advances in surgical techniques. Starting over 25 years ago, Eric has created and operated the organic fruit and vegetable farms Lewis Ranches, Malibu Organics, Raspberries International, E&L Rancheros of Baja, and Double E Rancheros of Baja. With an experimental species called Silva, Eric's strawberry farms set records for production per acre in a single year, profitability per acre per year, total income per acre per year, and longest consecutive months of production. While the drought of the early 1990s devastated the rest of central Baja agriculture, Raspberries International, which occupied the current site of AFI, flourished by switching to diluted saltwater farming. Eric has also owned and operated the distributing companies Vista, Baja Berries, and Alamo, shipping fresh fruit and vegetables from Mexico, Central America, and South America to the United States. By adding flash-freeze equipment to his operation, Eric increase d profits by over 30% with riper produce that could not be shipped fresh.

Eric O. Lewis, M.D. is the father of Chairman Eric A. Lewis. He attended the University of California, Berkeley and earned his degree in physiology in 1946. After attending medical school at the University of Southern California, he began his career as a physician in 1950 and developed a flourishing family practice in Southland, which he maintained with excellence until his retirement in 1987. In addition to his talents as a physician, Dr. Lewis' business acumen and energy are hallmarks that time has not diminished. He is known for his meticulous and thorough research in every field he ventures. In his role overseeing AFI's procurement, he combines research with a keen eye for value to acquire materials and equipment at pennies on the dollar.

John Lewis holds a BA in the Biological Sciences from U.C. Santa Barbara and an MBA from Santa Clara University with emphasis on international and R&D management. Managing the strategic planning for the Air Force Satellite Control Network for the command and control of all US spacecraft, John recommended the allocation of annual budgets of $500 million and led studies with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At Lockheed Martin, John has led projects such as launch site services at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base ($600M), the Transformational Military Satellite Operating System ($2 billion), and designing the Navy's next generation submarine rescue vehicle.  In his current role as a business development consultant for Cisco Systems' Global Government Solutions Group, John designed and implemented the new business proposal process and manages telecommunications systems proposals with all branches of the US Government. John has also served on a steering committee for the Commonwealth Club of California and is a member of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

John McDonald graduated from the University of Victoria with a B.S. in Honors Physics and Mathematics in 1969. He did graduate work in Physical Oceanography at the Institute of Oceanography at the University of British Columbia, was awarded a fellowship from the National Research Council of Canada and received his Master's Degree in 1972. After completing the required course work for a PhD in 1973, John started extensive environmental consulting work in Canada's Arctic as an oceanographer, environmental consultant and computer-mapping specialist. In the 1990s, he evaluated aquaculture facilities along the coast of British Columbia. Jointly with Karl Ricker, he completed biophysical suitability and computer-mapping studies for the pen rearing of fin fish species. Since 2004, John leads AFI's and CMBI's aquaculture and ecology projects. John also heads a group of contributors who are writing "The Manual for a Sustainable World” with an emphasis on solutions to current problems.

Michael Nocita was ordained a priest for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1977. After three years in parish ministry, he assumed a ten year assignment as a high school teacher, coach and administrator, and became principal of two Southern California Catholic high schools. Simultaneously, he served as a reserve chaplain with the Los Angeles Police Department. As a media spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Mike frequently appeared on KABC radio and KCBS, KCAL, and KNBC television. After leaving the ministry in 1991, Mike became Executive Director of the La Ca–ada Youth House , and of Fighting Back, an outreach program for the Santa Barbara Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. In 1993, he joined Consolidated Smart Systems as Security Manager and eventually became Chief Operating Officer and a partner in the business. Since selling his share of the business in 2003, Mike has speaking engagements as a management trainer and is intimately involved in the activities and development of AFI and CMBI.

Howard Pearlstein holds a B.A. in Public Relations from USC. Together with his younger brother Frank, Howard is an owner/principal of Lee & Associates, Inc., a leading food promotion agency founded by their father in 1950. The agency has handled over 40 state and federal food-industry marketing advisory boards and commodity/trade associations, as well as major consumer brands and restaurant chains and is one of the nation's foremost authorities on fish and seafood promotion. Howard is an active member of the Public Relations Society of America, for which he was chairman of the Los Angeles Counselor's Section and on the Board of Directors. He is a guest lecturer for UCLA's Public Relations classes and also lectures at USC and other major universities. Howard is a long-time member of the Public Communicators of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Press Club and numerous food industry-related organizations. He is one of the “original” AFI start-up Members.

Prof. Pei-Yuan Qian is the founding director of the Coastal Marine Laboratory at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and an adjunct professor at six leading Chinese marine institutions. Pei-Yuan's research focuses on larval settlement of marine organisms and biofouling and antifouling control. As one of the world's top scientists in both fields, he has published over 300 papers in international journals, chaired dozens of international conferences, and presented over 200 papers at international symposia. Since 2002, he also serves as the elected senate member of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. As a larval biologist, he started work on abalone in 1992, researching larval settlement response to biofilm, the effects of artificial feeds on growth and reproduction, and the biotechnology of abalone farms.

Robin Rackowe holds an M.A. degree from Cambridge University in England. He has been president of International Marine Fisheries Company since 1978. Robin has over 35 years of experience in the seafood industry, including executive management positions in fishing companies in the United Kingdom, Peru, Colombia and the U.S. He has carried out consultancy assignments in over 50 countries, including to the Asian Development Bank, the International Trade Centre, the European Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American Investment Corporation, and the United States Agency for International Development. Robin's areas of expertise include the marketing of fisheries products; processing of fish and shellfish; fishing vessel operations; management of seafood companies; and the evaluation of joint venture proposals. He has also provided assistance to the negotiation of international fishing agreements. Robin is fluent in Spanish and capable of working in Norwegian, French and Portuguese. Robin is certified as trained in HACCP concepts.

Conrad Schoeffter's education in Switzerland was focused on engineering and business . He was instrumental in keeping his family's wholesale business profitable during a recession but anxious to chart his own course through life. After graduating from USC in film production and the Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing Program, Conrad has worked in producing, writing or consulting capacities for Columbia-TriStar, Strengholt B.V., Condor Films A.G., Swiss National Television, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Tele München and others. He has lectured on economic and creative aspects of the entertainment business and served as a blue ribbon judge a.o. for the International Emmy Awards and the EU's producer training program EAVE. He has studied ten languages, pursue d an interest in science, and has served his local Neighborhood Council. His passion for AFI/CMBI is fueled by the companies' ethics and grounded in his roots in business and engineering. Conrad is certified as HACCP and GMP trained for seafood .

Prof. Eduardo Schwartz is the California Professor of Real Estate and Professor of Finance, Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA. He has an Engineering degree from the University of Chile and a Masters and PhD in Finance from the University of British Columbia. He has been on the faculty at the University of British Columbia and visiting professor at the London Business School and the UC Berkeley. He wrote more than 80 articles, two monographs, an edited book, and a large number of chapters and special reports on asset and securities pricing. He has been associate editor for the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis and many more. He is past president of the Western Finance Association and the American Finance Association. He is a Fellow of the American Finance Association and the Financial Management Association International and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Eduardo was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Alicante in Spain.